Israel-Gaza updates: IDF to begin daily 'tactical pause' along Gaza aid route

Military action will be paused on the route from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Israel said.

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.


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Blinken urges Middle East to 'press Hamas to say yes' to proposal

On a tarmac in Egypt, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out his objectives for his tour through the Middle East this week, calling on countries with connections to Hamas to push them to take the cease-fire deal on the table, while also emphasizing the need to develop a "day after" plan for Gaza, calling it "a critical moment."

"My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region: If you want a cease-fire, press Hamas to say yes," Blinken said. "If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, press Hamas to say yes. If you want to get all the hostages home, press Hamas to say yes. If you want to put present Palestinians and Israelis alike on the path to more durable peace and security, if you want to prevent this conflict from spreading, press Hamas to say yes."

He said a cease-fire would open a path to "more durable security, calm, peace in Gaza."

"For that, it's critical that we continue to work on plans for the day after to make sure that when it comes to security in Gaza, when it comes to governance, when it comes to reconstruction, we have the plans in place to come forward," he said. "That's going to be a critical part of my conversations here in the region as we go on to Israel and then to Jordan and then to Qatar."

Blinken didn’t say when he expected Hamas to give its formal response to the proposal but said "there’s a sense of urgency among all concerned."

"Our Egyptian counterparts were in communication with Hamas as early -- as recently as a few hours ago," he said. "Ultimately, I can't put myself, none of us can put ourselves, in the minds of a Hamas or its leaders, so we don't know what the answer will be."

Blinken was adamant that Israel stood behind the proposal, stressing it was only Hamas preventing it from being implemented.

-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford


4 rescued hostages 'in less severe condition' physically than expected

The four hostages rescued from Gaza this weekend are physically "in less severe condition than we kind of prepared for," said Itai Pessach, head of the medical team at the Sheba Medical Center, where the hostages are being treated.

But the worry is mainly on the long-term psychological impact, as "they underwent continuous, psychological abuse," Pessach told ABC News.

The rescued hostages -- Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40 -- were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces. They were all rescued in good condition, the IDF said.

Argamani has been discharged while the three men remain at the hospital. But Argamani will still be receiving medical treatment from the Sheba team for an indefinite period, Pessach said.

"It's a very, very long process of rehabilitation. And we received captives that came back six months ago, and we're just now starting to see the initial post-traumatic response coming up," Pessach said. "They have seen a lot of war-related things that happened and all of that is part of their trauma, and we will need to care for that."

"When you see the eyes and you see, you know, they get silent for a second and you understand that there's a trigger, there's something in their minds, and you see a tear, or they ask to be left alone for a moment or something like that. This is when you really feel, under the surface there’s so much that's waiting for us," Pessach said.

-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge, Dana Savir, Omer Manor and Hugo Leenhardt


United States doubling down on efforts for Israel to reach a cease-fire

The United States is doubling down efforts to reach a cease-fire deal as pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Qatar this week to discuss a cease-fire agreement that secures the release of all hostages, according to the State Department’s announcement Friday.

While Blinken traveling to the region should not be seen as a marker of further progress in reaching a deal, he will be putting pressure on the respective countries’ officials when he’s there.

A U.S. official told ABC News the intelligence that the U.S. provided to Israel in the latest hostage rescue operation was related to "support with locating individuals."

Currently, there are five American hostages the U.S. believes are still living and three that the U.S. has confirmed are deceased.

The White House is not commenting on the resignation of Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz on Sunday, as they don’t comment on domestic Israeli politics.

-ABC News' Selina Weng


Gantz resigns from emergency government in blow to Netanyahu

Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced Sunday that he was resigning from the emergency government because of what he has described as a lack of a plan from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the "day after" in Gaza.

During a televised news conference, Gantz announced he was resigning from the coalition government, taking with him his State Party and the seats it held in the Knesset. Netanyahu's coalition government will still retain a majority, but the move by Gantz is considered a major blow to the prime minister.

"Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing towards a true victory," Gantz said. "For this reason, we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart, yet wholeheartedly."

He also called on Netanyahu to set a date for elections.

Gantz was set to make the announcement on Saturday but called it off amid the news of an Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza that led to the rescue of four Israeli hostages.

Gantz is a member of Israel’s three-member war Cabinet, which includes Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

On Saturday, Netanyahu appealed to Gantz on X, saying, "This is the time for unity and not for division. We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us. I call on Benny Gantz -- do not leave the emergency government. Don't give up on unity."

Following Gantz's resignation, Netanyahu released a statement on X, saying, "Israel is in an existential war on several fronts."

"Benny, this is not the time to abandon the campaign -- this is the time to join forces," Netanyahu said. "Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and the achievement of all the goals of the war, primarily the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas."

Netanyahu added, "My door will remain open to any Zionist party that is ready to get under the stretcher and assist in bringing victory over our enemies and ensuring the safety of our citizens."

In May, Gantz issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, saying he would resign if the prime minister did not approve a post-war plan by June 8, saying at the time, "While the Israeli soldiers show supreme bravery on the front, some of the men who sent them into battle behave with cowardice and irresponsibility."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller


Biden cites pain of Muslims in Gaza in Eid al-Adha holiday statement

President Joe Biden issued a statement Sunday commemorating the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha in which he acknowledged the pain and suffering of innocent civilians in Gaza.

"In Gaza, innocent civilians are suffering the horrors of the war between Hamas and Israel.," Biden said. "Too many innocent people have been killed, including thousands of children. Families have fled their homes and seen their communities destroyed. Their pain is immense."

Biden added that his administration is working to end the war and make progress toward a two-state solution.

"And I strongly believe that the three-phase ceasefire proposal Israel has made to Hamas and that the U.N. Security Council has endorsed is the best way to end the violence in Gaza and ultimately end the war," Biden said.

Biden also cited the conflict in Sudan as well as the targeting of Muslim communities in Burma and China.

He used the holiday to celebrate the contributions of the Muslim community in America and also to say that he is committed to fighting Islamophobia in the United States.

"Hate has no place in America, whether it is targeted at American Muslims, Arab Americans including Palestinians, or anyone else," Biden said.

He added, "In the spirit of Eid al-Adha, let us all renew our commitment to values that unite us -- compassion, empathy, and mutual respect -- which are both American and Islamic."

ABC News' Michelle Stoddart